Vehicle lamp



Sept 16, 19240 1,509,070

T, J. KERWEN VEHICLE LAMP Filed Sept. 16, 1922 2 Sheets-Shea}. 1

T. J. KERWlN fie m 116 19246 VEHI GLE LAMP 2 Sheets5lxeet 2 Filed Sept, 16 1922 I Patented Sept. 16, 192 4. d v v 4 i arenas rarer THOMAS J. KERWIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T EDMUNDS & JbNES COR- POBATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VEHICLE LAMP.

I Application filed September 16, 1922. Serial No. 588,578.

To all whom it may concern? v will be equally suitable for attachment to a Be it known that I, THOMAS J. KERWIN, more nearly perpendicular riser when one of citizen of the United States, residing atChithe parts of the support is omitted. Still cage, in the county of Cook and State of' further and also more detailed objects will 1 Illinois, have invented certain new and useappear from the following specification ful Improvements in a Vehicle Lamp; and and from the accompanying drawings, in I do hereby declare the following to be a which full, clear, and exact description of the in- Fig. 1 is a side view of a reflector, lampvention, such as will enable others skilled in socket and supportingbracket combination, *the art to which, it appertains to make and showing the same as it appears when at use'the same. tached to the rear fender of a vehicle.

My invention relates to illuminating ap- Fig. 2 is an enlargedvertical, central and pliances and in some of its general aspects longitudinal section through the assemblage aims to provide a lamp casing, lamp-socket of Fig. 1, with the lower portion of the supand supporting bracket assembly in which porting bracket omitted.

certain portions jointly secure the said three Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation of main constituent parts to each other, and in the assemblage of Fig. 1, drawn on the same which a portion of the lamp casing also scale as Fig. 2 but with the ornamental cap serves as a wall for resisting a spring formof the socket omitted. 2 in an operative portion of the socket. Fig. 4: is a transverse section through the I viewed in one of its more particular assocket and cap of Fig. 2, taken along the linepects, my invention aims to provide a lamp 4.& of that figure with the lamp omitted. casing and socket assembly in which a shell Fig. 5 is a front elevation 'of the asportion of the socket is formed for clamping semblage of Fig. 1, drawn on the same scale 25 the socket to the lamp'casing and desirably as Figs. 2 and 3 but with the lens and the also for clamping both of the said members lens-clamping collar omitted. to a supporting bracket; Moreover, my in- Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the riser porvention aims to provide a simple-lamption of the supporting member, drawn on socket construction in which the base of the the same scale as Figs. 3 and 5. lamp is interlocked with a slidably mount- Fig. 7 isa perspective view of the base ed inner shell, and for this purpose aims to portion of the supporting member. provide simple means for preventing the Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the outer mner shell from rotating, and simple means shell of the socket showing this shell as it (desirably as'part of a reflectorlor lamp casappears before it is attached to other .ele- 35 ing associated with the socket) for guiding ments.

the inner shell. It also aims to provide a Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the inner simple insulation-affording mounting for a shell of the socket. I wire-terminal contact member, aims to pro Fig. 10 is a central, vertical and longituvide simple and handsome means for nordinal section through theupper portion of 40 mally concealing the general structure of the outer shell and the insulating base of the the socket and particularly the said wiresocket, together with the'ornamental cap as .terminal portion, aims to provide simple normally interlocked-therewith.

means for latching the said concealing Fig. 11 is a fragmentary section showing means in their. normal'position; and desirthe use of certain features of my invention 45 ably aims to employ common means for efin securing a socket shell to a lamp casing fecting the said latching and for preventing without interposing part of a supporting rotation ofthe inner shell of the socket. bracket. Furthermore, my invention aims to pro While various novel features of my invenvide a support of a lamp casing or socket tion may obviously be employed in a wide (or both) of the above mentioned general variety of connections and for various spetypes which can readily be attached to the cific purposes, my invention in general is parparts supported by it, which will afford the ticularly suited for supporting the tail lamp requisite firmness ina two-piece supporting or the rear stop-signal lamp of an autobracket construction suitable, for attachmobile. I am therefore illustrating and 5 ment to the fender of a vehicle, and which describing it in an embodiment designed for 20 shown in F 1g. 7, the tongue this purpose, including as a supporting member a two-piece bracket having a base 1 adapted to be bolted to the rear fender 2 of a vehicle by a pair of bolts 3, this base being secured by a pair of clamping bolts 4 to a riser 5 which is secured to the back of the lamp casing or reflector as hereafter more fully described. To secure the desirable position for the various parts of the support- 1 ing member I desirably curve the forked base 1, which base has two arms each equipped with a perforation 6 through which one of the fastening bolts 3 can extend, but leave the similarly forked riser portion 7 of the bracket flat, the latter having per a forked lower end aflording apair of wings 10 each of which has a-perfo'ration 11 alming with one of the said perforations 8 when the two parts of the supporting member are assembled, while the intervening bight straddles the lower portion of the tongue.

When the two parts are clamped together as shown in'Fig. 1, the rear faces of the wings 10 bear flatwise against the riser portion 7 of the bracket base, while the portion of the riser connecting these wings bears forwardly against the rear of the tongue 9.

Thus arranged, the tongue 9 cooperates with the riser. portion 7 in holding the riser securely against any forward or backward swinging movement. The riser 5 is desirably stiffened 'by having a longitudinal groove 11 formed therein as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, and has at its upper end a forwardly concaved ring formation 12 which is curved to 5 fit snugly against the back of the casing 13,

this back bein here shown as also forming the reflector 0 the lamp. The ring 12 has a bore of such size as to fit slidably over forwardly projecting fingers 17 on the outer shell 14 of the lamp socket, and this outer shell has its main cylindrical portion spaced from. the said fingers by an outwardly directed flange 15. formed by first expanding the shell diametrically and then collapsing the expanded portion upon itself to afford an annularshoulde'r against which the rear face of the ring 12 bears when the parts of the lamp are assembled. The reflector or lam casing 13 has a series of secondary per orations or slits 16 through which the fingers 17 respectively extend forwardly of the lamp, each of the fingers 17 being bent back tightly against the forward surface of the reflector 13 so as to clamp the reflector and the ring-shaped upper end of the bracket naoaoao against the collar 15 on theouter shell of the socket.

The outer socket shell 14: also has rearwardly directed. fingers 18 which are turned inwardly behind the insulating base 19 of the, socket, the latter being desirably in the form of a disk of hard rubber having a central perforation through which a tubular contact member 20 extends. This contact member is headed over against both faces of the insulating disk and is threaded to receive a binding screw 21 by means of which the tip of a wire 22 can be clamped against the contact member, so that the latter forms both a wire terminal and a contact element adapted to engage one terminal of the lamp.

Slidably mounted within the outer socket shell is an inner shell having a cylindrical portion 23 which slidably fits the central bore of the reflector and which is equipped with oppositely disposed cam slots at arranged for interlocking with the usual projecting pins 25 on the base 26 of an incandescent lamp, each of the cam slots being bayonet slots having inclined connections between their entrance portions 46 and theirnotched locking portions 27 as shown in Fig. 9. The inner socket shell also has at its rear end an outwardly directed flange 28 which slidably fits the bore of the main portion 14 of the outer shell, and this flange 28 has peripheral notches 29\ each of which engages a longitudinal indentation 50 on the said portion 14: of the outer socket shell so as to prevent the inner Shell from rotating with respect to the outer shell. llnterposed between the flange 28 and the inner portion 30 of the reflector or lamp casing (orthe portion of the reflector between the central compression spring 31 which continuously urges the innen shell rearwardly or towards the insulating base 19 of the socket, thereby tending to force the contact terminal 32 on the end of the lamp base into engagement with the contact member'20 mounted on the bore thereof and the slots 16) is a insulating base of the socket. When a lamp is being inserted, the rotation of the lamp while moving its projecting pins 25 from the entrance portions 46 of the cam slots to the locking notches 27 of these slots draws the inner shell forwardly of the socket against the resistance of the spring, and when the projections have reached the locking notches the pressure of the spring holds the lamp firmly latched andv also holds the contact elements 20 and 32 in proper engagement, it being understood that the other terminal of the circuit is grounded to the metal shell I of the lamp base through the metal structure of the lamp after the general manner customary with so calledsingle-pole lamp sockets.

To give the lamp as a whole a finished appearance and to conceal the parts at the rear of the socket proper, I desirably also employ an ornamental cap 33 having a bore which fits slidably over the main portion '14 of the upper shell and I provide this cap with a number of'indentations 34 each of which enters one of the grooves 50 in the outer socket shell. These grooves terminate short of the rear end ofthe portion 14 of the outer socket shell as shownin Fig. 8,v and each of the indentations 34: is so spaced from the collar 15 that this indentation engages the rear end of the adjacent groove .50, therebypreventing the cap from slipping off the socket shell while still permitting its resiliency to allow a detaching of the cap when desired. The cap also has a longitudinal slot as shown in Fig. 2 so as to clearthe wire 22. At its forward end the lamp casing or reflector is desirably equipped for supporting a glass lens or lamp front 36, for which purpose I desirably expand the forward end of this lamp casing to an angle-sectioned collar 37 into which the lens. is slidably inserted, and desirably employ a resilient clampingri'ng 38 for'holding the lens of the lamp front in this collar, the clamping ring being normally tightened by a screw 39.

With the parts thus arranged, it will .be obvious that I am accomplishing the purposes of my invention with an exceedingly simple and cheaply manufactured construction and that by clamping the riser ring 12 and the inner portion of the reflector 13 against the collar 15 of the socket by fin are which extend through'corresponding s ots in the lamp casingor reflector, I secure a firm assemblage without requiring any screws or other auxiliary fastening elements. So also, by having the inner portion 30 of the lamp casing or reflector extend into the bore of the outer socket shell to form an abutment for the spring, I avoid the necessity of providing a separate socket portion for this purpose.

However, while I have thus illustrated various features of my invention in a combination of immediate commercial desirability, and have described the various parts in highly desirable forms, I do not wish to be limited to their combined use as thus disclosed or to the saiddetails of construction and arrangement. Obviousl many variations might. be made without eparting either from the spirit of my invention or fromthe appended claims. Neither do I wish to be limited to having all three of the main constituents of my invention used in connection with each other, as the same method of securing a socket shell to a reflector and to an ornamental cap 'might obviously be employed with other interior socket constructions, or without the inclusion of a riser portion of a supporting member in the connection between the socket shell and the reflector. For example, Fig. 11 is a fragcollar 15 on the socket shell. Neither do I wish to be limited to arrangements in which one and the same member forms the lamp casing ,and the reflector, although this double function of one part as shown in the illustrated embodiment lends itself to an inexpensive construction.

I claim as my invention 1. A lamp socket and reflector combina-. tion comprising a reflector having in its back a circular perforation and a plurality of slits surrounding and spaced from the said perforation, an outer'socket shell provided at its forward end with fingers extending forwardly through the said slits and cllnched against the forward face of the reflector, an inner shell equipped with notches for interlocking with the base of the lamp, the said inner shell extending slidably through the said circular perforation in the reflector and having a lateral projection spaced rearwardly from the reflector, coacting means on the two socket shells for preventing relative rotation thereof, and a compression spring disposed between the two socket shells and abutting at its ends respectively against the said lateral projection and againstthe portion of the reflector between the said circular perforation and the said slits.

2. A lamp socket and reflector combination as per claim 1, in which the means for preventingrelative rotation of the two socket shells comprise an outwardly concaved grooved portion formed in the outer shell and extending longitudinally of the latter but terminating short of the rear end of the shell and a flange on the inner shell having a notch slidably engaging the said grooved portion, in combination with a cap sleeved upon the outer shell and housing the rear I with the aforesaid perforation but smaller in diameter than the latter and also having relatively small perforations disposed aroun its said perforation, an outer socket shell having forwardly directed fingers extending respectively thr'ou h the said small perforations and also havmg a shoulder formation bearing against the rear face of they supporting member, the said fingers being clinched over the forward face of the reflector to clamp both the reflector and the supporting member against .th said shoulder formation; a wire termi' al member of but insulated from the said shell, an inner she-ll slidable within the outer shell and having means thereon for interlocking with the base of a lamp, and a spiral spring dis posed in the space between the inner and outer shells and bearing at its ends respectively against a portion of the inner shell and against the radially inward portion of the reflector.

4; A lamp socket andrefiector combination as per claim 3, in which the inner shell is slidably guided by the bore of the reflector.

5. A lamp comprising an outer socket shell, a reflector having its back secured to the forward end of the shell and having a portion extending inwardly of the latter, an insulating base secured to the shell and spaced from the said inwardly extending reflector portion, an inner shell slidable within the said outer shell and having cam slots leading from its forward end for receiving lateral projections on the base of a lamp, the inner shell having an outwardly directed formation at its rear end, means preventing relative rotation of the two shells, and a compression spring interposed between the said reflector portion and the said outwardly directed inner shell formation.

6. In combination, a lamp casing having a plurality of perforations disposed in annular formation, A a lamp socket having a shell equipped with fingers extending respectively through the said perforations and clinched against the forward face of the casing, the shell having an enlargement engaging the rear face of the casing and havmg on its exterior a longitudinal groove terminating forwardly of the rear end of the shell, and a capsleeved over the shell and abutting against the said enlargement and having a latching projection enteringthe said groove adjacent to the rear end of the groove.

- Signed at Chicago, Illinois, Sept. 13th,

THUMAS J. KERWIN. 

